Method of printing designs



- 1,640,679 Aug. 30,1927. asPEER I METHOD OF PRIN' IING DESIGNS.

original?"Fildeb. 9.. 1921 ZSheefs-Shegt 1- mvQLto'r j, Q J 1 WW Aug, 30, 1921; 1,640579 A. s. -SPEER:

METHOD .OF- EBINTING DESIGNS Original Filed Feb; ea -1921" z'sn ets-sneeti 2 'YTIJAUD Patented Aug. 30, 1927 ,JUNITED} srATEs' PATENT OFFICE.-

ALEXANDER s. SPEER, or BUFFALO, NEW-Y ORK, Assrcuon, BY MESNE AssIeuMEurs, T CENTRAL 'rIwsI' COMPANY or ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS, 'AND 1 AKsEL-K. BODHOLDT, or EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

METHOD or PRINTING DESIGNS.

Application filed February 9,1921, Serial No. 443,514. Renewed jJ'uIy'B, 1923.

My invention is an'improvementinmethods of printing designs, and. relates especially to the formation of impressed trademark designs on prepared roofing and the 6 like. l j An object of' the invention is to form clearly impressed designs, in materials suchas are used with one face exposed. on that face of the material whichwill be hidden in 10 use; and insuch manner that there will be no visible indication of the 'desi'gn up'on the other or exposed face.

Another object is to form such designs 'upon materials having a'base or body of felt-like material; saturated with a waterproofing material, and coated with a protective layer on one face,,before; .the base or body is saturated and coatedfiand 1n such manner that the designs-will be clearlyvisible on the reverse face, aftersaturatioh and coating. 1

The nature of the. invention may be best un'derstoodby referenceto one illustrative method and apparatus embodying the in-.

vention and illustrated in the accompanying dr win s a 'Reference is made to my copending application Serial No. 443,513. in which I claim apparatus formaking methodiherein disclosed.

vIn the drawings Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side view are ,machine for carrying out the method,- Figure 2 is a sectional view of one ofthe dies, r

Figure 3is anenlarged partial section at the compression rollers,

roll. with a part in section, v 40 Figure "5 isa front view of the same.

I shall explain this invention in connection with one embodiment thereof suitable for use in the manufacture of prepared or asphalt roofing. It will be understood that the invention is not, however. limited there to or to similar methods of manufacture, but may be employed independently thereof.

-is'divided into individual shinglemit is deside of the roofing, that is upon that side the article by the 'phalt and before it has been provided with Y ino' embossing dies. The printing roller Figure 4 1s a s1de view of the printing 'tective facing, it is'de'sirable that" the web or sheet be provided with trademark designs at suitable intervals.

The arrangement of the designs with respect to the web or'sheet depends upon the ultimate disposal of said web or sheet. As for instance whenthe web sirable that the designs be so arranged on' the wehthat they will appear upon the individual shingles. It is also desirable that such designs beupon the reverse or hidden which is not exposed to the weather. and which in the usual practice has 'no.protec-- tive coating I :have found it extremely difl'icult to. form these designs in the finished web-and on the reverse side. without some indication .appearing'y-rupon the weatherv side. Suchmarksmay be almost invisible. but they destroy-the uniformity of color and surface of'theroofingJ In the 'presentembodiment-of the invention. I form'the designs on one face of the 5 body 'or. base of the material. while said body or base is vet dry. and before .it has been waterproofedby saturating it in asthe protective facinof. With this object in View I pass the web of felt between a pair of rollers. one of which is a smooth or platen roller, and the other a printing-roller carrywill carry aseries of dies. arranged with appear upon the roofing. and the charactersof each of these dies have fiat faces. .That is the characters are so made that they do not cut into thefelt. but compress the same.

making an indentation having a plane bot tom with substantially parallel side walls: Durinathe making of each impression, the opposite face ofthe felt is supported firmly and throughout the extent of the material which is receiving the impression, so that there can be no offsetting or lateral movement of the material.

After the base or body has been impressed with the design as above set forth, it is passed through the saturating tank, containing the waterproofing or preserving. material. The base or body is then passed between a pair of rollers, which squeeze out from the felt the surplus waterproofing compound. While-the base or body is passing'between the compression rollers, a portion of the compound, which a thick heavy liquid is driven into the indentations, deepening the same. Afterwards the waterproofed base is passed through the coating machine, which places'upon one face thereof the protective coating. i It might be thought that the impressed designs'would disappear under the pressure of the compression. rollers. Such however is not the case. Instead of lessening the depth of the impressions, they are deepened. Each design is in itself relatively small as compared with the total surface of the web or sheet, and they are filled with the thick heavy waterproofing solution to the level of the outer face of the waterproof coating. This liquid which fills the indentations, is subjected also to the pressure of the com pression rollers, but, being incompressible,

' its presence results in deepening the impression. -In other words, this liquid acts similarly to hard solid material in the impressions and concentrates the pres-sure of the rollers upon the indented portions of. the sheet. After the saturated base or body leaves the compression rollers, the fibers of the body which encircle the indentations absorb the saturating liquid from the indentations, acting in the same manner as blotting paper. The waterproofing liquid preferably has certain properties which fix or set the fibers of the sheet so as to preserve the impressions. For example, an asphalt waterproofing liquid is sullicicntly adhesive to cement the fibers or material of the sheet and prevent the same from gradually iesuming its initial condition and thus obliterating the impressions. Designs so made are clearly visible on one face of the completed sheet or web, but there is no trace of them upon the other face. It will be understood that the impressions are always made on that face of the sheet which is to be hidden in use, so that no mark appears upon the weather face of the material.

In practice, the base or body 1 of felt or the like is supplied from a reel 2 suitably supported, and the web 1 passes between a roller 3 and a printing roller at. This printing roller has oppositely arranged peripheral recesses, within which are held dies 6. the dies being held to the roller by means of screws 7. The outerfaces of the dies. are

shaped to form With the peripheral outline of the roller, and they have printingcharacters which extend beyond the peripheral outline of the roller. These characters have flat faces, as shown, so that they compress the fibers of the base or body without cutting the same. The web passe-s beneath the roller 3, which is a platen roller and over a roller 5 to a saturating tank 8 which contains a composition'of waterproofing mate rial, as for instance liquid asphalt. The web is guided in the tank, by means of direction. elements 9 which are so'arranged that the web will be passed backwards and forwards in the solution, to thoroughly saturate the same. After leaving the tank, the web passes between a pair of compression rollers 10 which remove-the excess asphalt, squeezing the web between the rollers. After the web passes the rollers 10 it is customary, though not necessary, to apply a protective coating or surfacing such as heavy asphalt to the wearing side of the material. Thiscoating may be of any desired thickness, governed by the space between the rollers 11 at which point the coating is applied. Ordinarily no coating is placed on the opposite side of the web; Since the waterproofing or preserving compound and the heavy asphalt coating are of an adhesive character, it is desirable to apply a surfacing of powdered or crushed mineral to the surfaces of the web so that the material may be handled without danger of sticking together. If desired, a wearing surface of crushed stone or. the like may be placed upon the heavy asphalt coating not only to stabilize this coating but to give to the material a pleasing and le s monotonous appearance than that of the asphalt,itself. This crushed material may be suitably applied to the web from the hopper .12., It is understood that the asphalt coating and the crushed stone or the like applied to the surface of the web are applied to the surface opposite that hearing the impressed designs.

The printing roller is iyieldin'gly pressed toward the platen roller, in such manner that it may yield away from the platen roller, to compensate for the differences in thickness of the web, and to permit the pas sage of obstructions. The roller is journaled between the arms 13 of a. yoke, whose body 14 is pivoted between the arms of a substantially U shaped bracket 15, which is secured on a suitable supporting frame 17. The

yoke body has a laterally extending, arm 18,

which is connected by a link 19 with one end of a lever 20. The lever is pivoted intermediate its ends to a substantially U shaped bracket 21 on the supporting frame 17, and a numberof weights 22 is connected to that end of the lever remote from the roller. These weights are detachable, so that the pressure of the printing roller against the platen roller-may be varied. A cable 23 is connected with that end of the lever a'd jacentto the counterwelght, and by means of the cable, the levermay be swung to move the printing .roller away from the? platen roller. The compression rollers. 10 are arranged directly above the tank 8, so that the surplus waterproofing material is returned directly to the tank. v

Referring to Figure 3 it will benoti'ced that as the web passes between the compres sion rollers, the indentationsare filled w1th-- the. thick heavy waterproofing liquid. There is also acoating of this liquid on the oppo-' site. faces'of the felt of considerable .depth. l/Vhenan indentation passes between therollers, thelower roller will sealthat side" of the indentation which is remote from the printing roll, it being understood. that the impressions are made on the under face of the web; 'At its forward edge each inden- I tation is sealed by'the surplus waterproofing material which is being squeezed from the felt. Hence the waterproofing solution which is in the indentations cannot escape either forwardly or rearwardly, and, being incompressible, the pressure thereon is concentrated in the indentations. This prevents.

the obliteration of the impressions under the pressure of the rolls, and in fact tends to deepen them. After the indentations pass from between the compression rollers, the fibers ofthe felt absorb the solution .from the indentations.

The improved method is adapted for use in any connection where it is desired to im-- press trademark designs on material includ' ing a waterproofed absorbent base or body, in such manner that the impression will not appear upon the exposed face, but onlyupon thehidden or reverse face. lVhile preferably-the designs are impressed on-the web before it is saturated, they may also be impressed upon the web after it is saturated; In'either case-the fiberswhich are displaced by the raised characters of the dies are ccmented together by the saturating solution, and are held in such displaced position.

1 When the solution dries, these fibers are closely cemented so that they do not tend to return to their original position. solution which remains in the indentations after the web .has been squeezed by the com- 1 pression rollers assists in this cementing acmore closely cemented. The impressing of t-ion, such solution being'absorbed by the adjacent fibers, and making such fibers more thoroughly saturated than those farther from the indentations and as a consequence the designs before saturating the web is car ried out more easily, because of: the fact that at this time the web is dry, and there is no solution to gum the printing roller.

2 The essential step in the method is the form- That .ing of thedesigu impressions Without marring or discoloring the wcariiig or outer surface of the material.

Obviously the invention is not limited to any specific method or sequence of sieps and the -details of the illustrative method and apparatus for performing the same may be variously modified. Moreover, it is clear that the invention mayv be employed in different relationships than thatherein illus trated. Furthermore, it is-not indispensable that all features of the invention be used conjointly inasmuch as they may be employed advantageously in various difierent combinations and sub-combinations.

I claim? 1. A method of forming designs upon one face of materials having a base or body of waterproofed absorbent material and a protective coating on the other face, in such manner that the design is Visible only on the face-of the material on which it is imprinted, which consists in impressing. the

- I 3. The method of placing permanent designs or identifying data upon a sheet of relatively soft'fibrous material which comprises impressing the designs or data into one face of the sheet, applying a liquid preserving compound to the impressed face of said sheet, and then applying pressure to sand sheet and at the sametime confining design on the base or body before ithas some of said liquid in the impressions 1n saidsheet, thereby deepening the impressions'therein. i

4. The method of placing permanent designs or identifying data upon a sheet of relatively soft fibrous material which compr ses imp ressing the designs or data-into one face of the sheet, applying an adhesive preserving liquid to the impressed face of said sheet, then applying pressure .to said "sheetto express excess liquid and at the same time confining some liquid in the im-- pressions of said sheet to retain the depth of the impressions. N p

5. The method of applying marksor designs to materials of the character described which consists in impressing the mark or design in one face of said material before the sanie is otherwise treated and then. waterproofing said material and subjecting it to pressure Without obliterating the im signs or identifying data upon a sheet of pressions. 4 fibrous roofing felt or the like, which is 6. The method of placing permanent.de-. characterized by compressing the felt in signs or identifying data upon a sheet of areas to form the design and then applying 5 fibrous roofing felt or the like, which is a compound for cementing and setting the 15 characterized by conipressing the felt in compressed fibers of the sheet to retain the areas to form the design and then treating imprint of the design. the sheet to fix the compressed fibers of the In testimony whereof I affix my signature. felt to retain the impressed design.

7. The methodot' placing permanent de- ALEXANDER S. SPEER. 

